Opponents of hydraulic fracturing held a rally and news conference in January in front of the state Department of Environmental Conservation's regional headquarters in Syracuse.Peter Chen / The Post-Standard, 2012

The Onondaga Town Board voted Monday night to extend its moratorium on hydrofracking, which expires this month.
The vote means the moratorium will remain in effect as the board makes a decision at its Dec. 3 meeting on whether to allow or prohibit the controversial drilling practice. The board is also accepting written comments on the topic.
“This just gives us a cushion between now and the Dec. 3 vote on whether or not to ban hydrofracking,’’ said Town Supervisor Thomas Andino.
At a public hearing on extending the moratorium, two people said they supported the extension, and no one spoke against it. Another public hearing was held in October in which nearly 30 people spoke against hydrofracking. One person spoke in favor of the practice.

Hydrofracking, or hydraulic fracturing, involves drilling deep and horizontally and injecting water, sand and chemicals to release natural gas. Proponents say the industry will bring jobs to the state, while those who are opposed are concerned about groundwater contamination.

Recent decisions by two upstate judges have independently ruled that local municipalities in New York are allowed to prohibit natural gas drilling within their boundaries.

The board is scheduled to meet at 5 p.m. Dec. 3 at Onondaga Town Hall on Ball Road to vote on the possible ban.